Rangers: Part 02 – Getting To The Past
by Star-Eva01
Summary: In the year 2186, Wade-A starts things in motion to get help as an unknown alien race is about to attack the League of Planets.  However, the help that is needed is in the past: Team Possible.   Kim Possible\Galaxy Rangers Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Forward:

Dear Readers,

For those that are familiar with The Galaxy Rangers, or GR for short, I want to warn you now at the start of the second part of this tale that I'm going to take some liberties with the GR, universe. Most are planed to be very small.

However, the most obvious is the timeframe, aka 2186.

In the opening of GR they mention a year specify: the year 2086. That's the year that Waldo and Zozo (we "assume" it's Waldo and Zozo anyway) arrive on Earth and ask for "our help." To make this story work, it takes place one hundred years later, as 2086 is a little close to our or more to the point Kim and Ron's time.

Otherwise, I'm going to do my best to stay as close the GR universe as I can or as close as I can remember it.

Now, on with the show.

-xx-

**Timestamp: 10:30am June 25, 2186**

**Location: BETA Mountain Complex, Arizona.**

The warm morning sun was gently breaking over the canyon's narrow ridge, casting a subtle warm glow around the lake causing it to take on hues of every color of the rainbow. High overhead a flock of Canadian Geese birds flew by in a perfect V formation giving a sense of order to the day while below a group of blackbirds were diving in and out of the lake taking their share of hovering mosquitoes near the warm shoreline. They seemed to form a kind of odd off center ballet as they gorged themselves on their breakfast. A second flock, this one of grey seagulls crossed the ridgeline and immediately dove towards the bottom. One would have sworn that suicide was their order of the day but just before they hit bottom they pulled out their dive and glided out over the river that helped to create the canyon. Gliding over the glassy surface that hid powerfully flowing water below, the seagulls turned southward toward the dam that partly blocked the slowly rambling river and formed the small lake. As they cross the dam's lip they caught an updraft and soared upward, circling higher and higher until they reached the canyon's lip where they flew off continuing their southward journey looking for their morning meal. As they went along their way, a yellow school bus started across the dam on the roadway that ran along its top.

All this was observed by a lone solitary figure standing where the roadway came together with a massive man-made structure built into the canyon wall that was partly hidden by shadows cast from the still rising morning sun.

The figure stood motionless and watched the bus edge closer to its destination. Just as the bus got within a few yards, the sun rose a little bit higher and the bright morning light began to reflect off the highly polished white metal skin that make up the android's body.

The bus stopped and settled down to the ground as its anti-gravity units were deactivated. There was a pause as if the bus was a living breathing entity checking to see if everything was alright before the door opened and a group of students got out followed by a pair teachers.

The android watched silently as the teachers, a male and female appeared. They seemed to be some thirty plus odd years old followed by an assortment of organized students. The android accessed his databanks and classified the two humanoids as Altearin. Most humans would not have known that fact by just going by their brunette colored hair. It was their skin, which had a faintly orange cast to it, that really revealed that the pair was most likely not native to Earth.

Most Altearins when visiting, working, or living on a Earth colony used a cream that darkened their skin somewhat that gave them the appearance of Earth Human's that had spent long hours in the sun giving them what used to be called on Earth a "deep tan." They also tended to wear their luxuriantly thick hair in such a way that it piled up a bit at the back of their heads before it fell cascading down their backs like a waterfall. The reasons for this was the Altearin Planetary Council believed it a friendly gesture to help humans become more used to humanoids from other planets when earth humans first started truly traveling among the stars and starting their own colonies over 70 years ago and thought they might need an identifier of sorts to help out. But what gave this pair away more than their skin tone was the pair of delicate looking antennae that rose above their hair; the reason for the uplifted hair style most Altearins wore was to cover those appendages almost completely.

Once the students where reorganized, the teachers tuned to face the android.

"You are from the Navajo city school district?" the android asked. When the Altearins replied yes the android nodded its head andaccessed it schedule.

"Then you must be Ms. Flyton and Mr. Jumpson?" the android spoke, the tone in its voice giving the illusion that it was asking a question rather then confirming what was on its appointment schedule. When the Altearin pair again replied yes, the Android took a step closer and stuck out its right hand as it told them "Pleased to meet you. I'm Arthur, and I'll be your tour guide today. Welcome to Beta Mountain's Museum and Information Center."

Arthur paused for moment as he scanned the children, most were human or humanoid with two Kiwis and an Andorian. Quickly he copied their images into his databank and stored them for later download into the Visitor's Log book then again faced the teachers.

"If you will follow me, we can get started."

-xx-

The tour appeared to be a success to Arthur, based on the response he had gotten from the humans and humanoids. The two Kirwin appeared to be enjoying themselves, but it was not so easy to tell sometimes with Kirwin since as a species they were good natured and light hearted as a rule. The Andorian remained quiet during the tour, answering questions when asked.

As the group moved into the last area of the tour, they walked past a plaque on the door frame with "Team Possible Foundation" on it. Arthur paused inside the lobby then asked the group at large "What can anyone tell me about Kimberly Possible or Ronald Stoppable?"

As was the common response for the off-worlders when asked that question, both the Kiwis and the Andorian were quiet. While the Kiwis had a blank look, the Andorian just smiled. Also most of the human and humanoid children shared the Kirwin's blank look. However there were two exceptions in the back of the group as a boy and girl raised their hands.

Both children were blond and were close enough in appearance that Arthur predicted there was a 95 percent chance that they were related, most likely brother and sister.

"Yes, Jessica?" Ms. Flyton said as she noticed the girl's up raised hand.

"They were members of the Team Possible Foundation," the girl answered as both she and the boy beside lowered their hands. Arthur ran her voice through his programming using her voice pitch and tone and estimated that she was approximately Thirteen years old.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Mr. Jumpson asked.

The girl, Jessica, shook her head and looked at the blond boy standing beside her. The look didn't go unnoticed by the teachers.

"What about you Zach, what can you add to your sister's input?" asked Ms. Flyton.

"Well," Zach said as he gave his sister a look that should have shot a hole through her, "I know that the Team Possible Foundation was incorporated into Beta over 70 years ago."

When Zach didn't go any further, Arthur spoke up.

"Both answers are correct Mr. Zach and Ms. Jessica. Kimberly Possible and Ronald Stoppable were founding members of the Team Possible Foundation and the main reason that it was created. Their Foundation was incorporated into the Bureau of Extra-Terrestrial Affairs or BETA when it was created for special reasons. However there was much more to them than that but that would be spoiling the tour if I divulged that answer right now.

If you will follow me, I'll tell you about two remarkable humans."

And with that, Arthur led them onward into a large room.

On the walls hung pictures and awards along with a number of monitor screens that were displaying images that appeared to feature a woman with red hair and bright green eyes.

There were display cases that held mementoes like a framed picture of what looked like a younger version of the red haired woman and a man that appeared to be at a dance with multi-colored lights or a picture of a group of young women, the young red haired woman again quite clearly could be seen, wearing clothes that left their legs and arms bare surrounding someone that appeared to be wearing an overly large fake dog's head. Others held some odd things; one of which appeared to be a very large gun with a three tiered hook in the barrel. Another held a small container of some kind labeled "Kissy Girl" along with what looked like a small gold and brown tube of some kind. Another held what looked like a very old stuffed animal that appeared to be some kind of cross between a Panda and a Kangaroo that had been repaired at least once judging by the scar on the left side of its chest where a heart might have been.

There was also a large glass enclosure that held two sets of clothes dressed on a pair of male and female mannequins. The female had on a purple form-fitting top with short sleeves that ended between the shoulder and the elbow. The top was tucked into a pair of black slacks that were snug around the waist and hips but flared outward down each leg. The pants legs also had purple piping that ran down the outside of the pants leg that was a prefect match to the color of the top. And on her feet were a pair of gray shoes that somehow appeared to be soft and supportive at the same time. Around the waist was a belt and hanging on her right hip was a pouch and on her hands were gloves, all a matching grey.

The male was dress in a black loose fitting top with long sleeves that ended between his wrists and elbows along with a pair of light gray baggy pants with a large pocket on the left leg about were his knees would be. On his feet were a pair shoes that were a darker gray that matched the pair of gloves that were on his hands. Around his waist was a titanium belt that had a number of tan pouches surrounding it.

But what drew everyone's attention was in the center of the room were a pair of hologram projectors were displaying images of man and a woman wearing the clothes from the display case that appeared to be running in slow motion. After a few moments the image changed to show the same couple but wearing different clothes, this time the woman had on what looked like blue pants with a yellow top and the man had on a red shirt over the black one, then after a few more moments the clothes and the images returned to the first ones shown.

"This," Arthur said gesturing at the hologram, "is Kim and Ron Stoppable. Known around the world in their time as Team Possible." Walking up to stand beside the hologram he continued.

"Kimberly Ann Possible was born October 20th, 1985. Ronald Dean Stoppable was born the day before, October 19th 1985. They met their first day of what was once called Pre-K, or Pre-Kindergarten, when they were four years old and became fast friends. At the age of 13, Kim started what was called at the time a web page in the hopes of finding odd jobs on what was called the internet, what is now known as the Interplanetary Information Network.

One of the first jobs that came from that was a request for help from someone that was trapped inside their own home by a security system."

"It was two men that were trapped and their names where Paisley and McHenry. They were trapped by a laser grid of McHenry's design when Paisley turned it on early." Came a voice from hidden speakers around the room when, without warning, another hologram appeared beside Arthur.

The new hologram was that of a young man with dark skin and short curly hair. He appeared to be somewhere in his early to mid 20's and stood about six feet tall. He wore blue pants of a dark tint and a lighter blue short sleeved shirt with a pair of dark shoes.

"I've heard you tell that story for years Arthur," the new hologram said, "and I've corrected you time and time again and you still get it wrong."

Arthur didn't appear upset at the interruption; it even appeared that he was waiting for it like a well rehearsed routine.

"Let me introduce you to the AI that ran the Team Possible Foundation's computer systems: Wade-A." Arthur said to the group and Wade-A gave the group a bow.

"Wade-A is the longest running known AI on Earth. He worked with Kim and Ron and can answer almost any question about them." Arthur said then noticed a hand raised at the back of the group, the girl that had been identified as Jessica.

"Yes miss?" he asked.

"If you don't mind, but just how old are you Wade-A?" she asked.

Wade-A looked at her and smiled. "My base program was activated Ms. Jessica in June of 1997. That makes me 188 years old. I'll be 189 in Two days."

Wade-A's systems could easily detect the faint blush that Jessica gave at being singled out. As he watched the young lady start to overcome her blush, he saw the young man standing beside raise his hand. It was pretty clear to him that they were related, the blond hair and blue eyes not withstanding, but their faces clearly marked them as brother and sister. A quick access to the internet, he still had problems calling it the Interplanetary Information Network, and he found what he was looking for.

"Yes Zachary, you have a question?"

The boy looked startled for a few seconds then asked "You and Arthur keep saying their names are Kim and Ron Stoppable and they created the Team Possible Foundation… it seems strange to me. Why would someone name something after themselves then call it something different?"

"Kimberly Ann Possible married her life long best friend and then boyfriend Ronald Dean Stoppable in 2009. She took her husband's name, Stoppable, in everything but the Foundation's work where she continued to use the name Possible. Which means Zachary, that both Kim Stoppable or Kim Possible is correct." Wade-A said.

Wade-A could see the boy still looked a little confused, but it was clear that Zach and the rest of the kids had the idea. Wade-A knew that in most things Kim had been what was then called a "modern woman," but had been a bit old fashion when it came to most things associated with her marriage to Ron. He could even replay the talk she and Ron had in the old Bunker a few days before the wedding when, after a workout, he had suggested that she either hyphen her last name or not take his at all. "I don't care Kim" he had told her, "all I care about is being with you… to me you'll always be KP." Kim had given Ron a very nice and quite passionate kiss then told him that she was proud to be married to him and would let the world know it… hence the Kimberly Ann Stoppable. But she also knew the world would forever call her Kim Possible, so when it came to the Foundation or with missions she would keep going by Possible… but for everything else she was a Stoppable.

"It was a human custom that has fallen somewhat out of favor Zachery" Ms. Flyton said. "On my home planet, the custom is for the male to take the female's name when male and female marry. On many worlds, no one changes names. Like most customs, it comes down to how a individual was raised based on the society at large."

The tour went on as the group moved about the area looking at the different exhibits and Arthur answering questions about the history of both Kim and Ron, along with the foundation. Wade-A filling in the details when he thought Arthur got them wrong or if someone asked him a question. Towards the end Wade-A noticed both Zachary and Jessica standing by one of the display cases. He could tell they were discussing the object in the case.

"But Jess," Zachary told his sister, "It has to be some kind of CDU, just like Ranger Hartford has."

"Can't be Zach," Jessica answered, "the CDU that Ranger Hartford has is one of a kind. Besides, by the looks of it, this was made a long time ago."

"Your right Ms Foxx" Wade-A said as he moved to stand by the pair. "That's a Kimmunicator. Or more to the point, it's a Kimmunicator Mark 2. It was designed and built by Wade Agamemnon Load for Kim." Wade-A could see the look on the teens faces and then added "Yes, he programmed me and I'm named after him."

Before either teen could say anything, another student asked Arthur a question.

"A number of these plaques mention a place called Middleton Colorado, but I've never heard of a Middleton Colorado… what happened to it."

At those words, Wade-A's face, which had been quite animated, became an emotionless mask and without a word he turned and walked over to the holograms of Kim and Ron and stared into their faces.

"Middleton Colorado," Arthur said, "was part of a Tri-City area that was made up of three cities named Lowerton, Upperton, and Middleton. All three cites were combined into one and renamed Freedom."

The reaction was instantaneous as all the kids pulled in a collected breath at the reminder of one of the worst disasters in human history.

Everyone on the tour knew that the Freedom Colorado Space Center had been destroyed in an explosion from a test of an experimental drive that was to combine the technologies of the Andorian Hyperdrive and the Earth's Kepler Drive systems in 2110. Of the thousands working at the center, only 50 locked inside the centers reinforced bunker survived the blast to only to die within two years due to radiation poisoning.

Freedom, which was only 15 miles from the space center, was exposed to the radiation fallout of the explosion. Millions died in Freedom and the surrounding area and those few that survived were relocated and most of them died within a year. A 250 mile area centered on the space center was sealed inside a number of pre-fabricated domes that were air lifted and placed over certain area hotspots which included parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota to contain the more concentrated radiation while teams from a number of worlds work to counteract it. Right now it would still be decades until it was safe to unseal the domes and start to rebuild. Until then Freedom was a city that never changed locked in a poisonous time capsule: a reminder of the dangers that came from Mankind taking its place among the stars.

Arthur looked at Wade-A looking at the holograms of Kim and Ron Stoppable, the look on the AI's holographic face clearly showed hurt and lost. Turning back to the gathered students and their teachers he said in a low voice, "Wade-A knew people that worked at the Space Center and that lived in Freedom."

Everyone remained silent.

Finally Arthur spoke up saying "Well, I believe that concludes the tour," while moving toward the entrance. Standing beside it he added "If everyone will come this way please, I'll escort you back to your bus."

As everyone was leaving, Wade-A finally looked away from the hologram of his very old, very dear friends and moved to stand beside Arthur.

"Thanks Arthur… even after all this time, that's still a touchy subject for me. I knew so many people from there… worked with many more. And Middleton is my home town."

Arthur nodded as his programming said he should… programming that made him alive in a way. But his programming was nothing compared to his friend. Arthur could recall the day he was activated over 20 years ago. 20 years to grow and become more then what he was. But Wade-A had been running and learning and doing for almost 190 years and was, based on all the evidence, truly sentient.

"You're welcome."

Wade-A nodded and Arthur started to leave after the tour, but Wade-A stopped him with a question.

"Arthur, what's the date and time, please and thank you?"

Arthur turned to face the hologram. Wade-A asked this question on the average every two or three times a tour was brought through. He knew that although Wade-A systems had be upgraded time and time again, the AI seemed to be worried that his internal clock was losing time.

"It is 12:00pm. 12:00pm June 25, 2186."

"Thanks Arthur."

"As your old friend used to say, it is "No Big"" Arthur said then left the room.

Watching the android leave, Wade-A checked with his internal clock and confirmed that his systems were right. As this date had gotten closer and closer, he had developed a very un-computer like fear of his systems not working right.

Walking back to were the holograms of Kim and Ron were, he accessed the hologram systems in the museum and replaced the image of the younger Kim and Ron with one from his personal files. The image changed to now show a Kim with her hair not just past her shoulders but down past her waist and wearing a pair of glasses and Ron was as always by her side, his blond hair hanging just below his ears, his own glasses resting on his nose. Superimposed over the image was a clock that was counting down from 120.

When the clock reached 090, Wade-A accessed the Beta Mountain network then called out to the room.

"Gillian, can you hear me?"

"I'm here my love" answered a woman's voice with a heavy Australian accent as another hologram appeared beside him: a hologram of a woman in her early to mid 20's. Her alabaster skin only highlighted her long blue hair that fell to her waist. She had on a white jumpsuit with dark blue highlights on her shoulders and around her neck with the legs tucked into thigh high boots with 4 inch heels that matched the dark blue highlights.

"It's almost time" he said as he placed an arm around her.

"I know Woodrow. I've been watching too."

As the countdown reached 060, he asked "Are you ready?"

A blank look crossed her face for a second, then she smiled at him.

"I've opened the network. You have complete access."

"Thank you my love," he said as he took her in his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back as she wrapped her arms around him. When the clock reached 045 they broke apart and held hands for a moment.

"Just a little longer Woodrow" she told him, her love for him clearly showing in her eyes, "and we won't have to hid anymore."

He nodded and gave her a quick peck on the check before she disappeared. When she was gone, he turned all his attention to the clock and watched it countdown.

010…

009…

008…

Suddenly, locked off sections of his memory became active. Quickly he accessed them.

007…

006…

A subroutine started as he accessed the museum's power systems. In the display case next to the holograms of Kim and Ron, the Kimmunicator's screen flashed.

005…

004…

On the Kimmunicator's screen, the words "powering up" appeared while screens in the display room that had been showing different pictures of all the members of Team Possible and the Team Possible Foundation changed to show just three words:

"PLEASE STAND BY"

003…

002…

001…

Every screen went blank.

"It's time," Wade-A said then every screen in the room changed, including the screen on the Kimmunicator. On them now were two letters in dark and lighter shades of green, one just a little higher then the other, around the letters was band of green in a elliptical shape. The letters started to spin slowly one way with the circle around them spinning the other.

Wade-A watched it all in silence while he counted. When he reached 10 the two letters, KP, were joined by a third. Slowly he turned in place, looking at every screen… every screen displaying the three letters that had meant so much to his friends and, at one time, the world.

TPF

He smiled as suddenly the Kimmunicator started beeping, making a faint sound that he had not heard in over 100 years.

Beep…Beep…de…Beep.

His smile only got wider as the little device did it again, then again and again and again.

Slowly the sound played at first, as if the little device was trying to remember how the four tone beep was supposed to sound. It kept repeating the sound over and over, growing stronger and stronger each time it was repeated until it sounded the way Wade-A knew it should.

He turned to the hologram of Ron and Kim and waved his hand, instantly they disappeared and were replaced with a slightly different Kim and Ron.

Wade-A, Woodrow to his friends of old and his family, snapped his fingers and the frozen images of his friends came to life.

Kim raised her right arm up until what looked like a large watch was just below her shoulders and over her heart. Ron leaned in close and placed his arm around her as she touched the face of the device on her wrist with her left hand and said:

"What's the Sitch Wade?"

"We've had a hit on the site Kim. It would appear the world needs your help… again." Woodrow said as he looked at the image before him, tears starting to run down his checks.

"It's no big Wade," Kim said as she looked at Ron standing beside her. Even in this from, the love she had for him could be seen in her eyes.

"Rufus, buddy, we're up" Ron said as the team mascot and partner appeared on his shoulder and said "yep."

"Ride Wade?" Kim asked as she turned to face Wade-A and then the images froze.

"I'm working on it Kim," Woodrow said as he wiped at the tears on his checks. Then he turned from the holograms and took a deep breath.

"Time to get this party started," he said as he circled his hands above his head for a moment then brought them down in a gesture like a wizard would if he was throwing something.

Suddenly every speaker in the whole building started making the same sound as the Kimmunicator, a sound that had been known around the world.

And with that every screen in the building, every computer station, every monitor changed to display the same three letters that the screens around him were flashing in time to the 4 tone beep:

T P F

"I'm sorry Arthur, but I need you" Wade-A said as he closed his eyes and his face took on the look of someone concentrating with all his might.

-xx-

Arthur watched as the last of the students climbed back on the bus and the driver reactivated the antigravity units. The last two kids, the twin brother and sister, had just thanked him when suddenly he felt himself disconnect from his body.

Zachary Foxx Jr, Zach to his family and friends, along with his sister Jessica, or Jess to her father, watched as the android suddenly froze in place during mid motion. They gave each other a look and turned to their teachers, but just as they started to say something the android made an odd sound.

"Beep Beep De Beep."

"Arthur, is something wrong?" Jessica asked.

"Beep Beep De Beep."

"Ms. Flyton, Mr. Jumpson, something is wrong with Arthur," Zach said.

As the teachers stepped out of the bus, the android repeated the 4 tone beep again.

"Beep Beep De Beep."

Then without warning the android added something else.

"Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

Zach and Jess looked from each other to their teachers and back to each other again as the android kept repeating the 4 tone beep and the code red message.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Zach under his breath as the students gathered around him and his sister along with the adults.

Souladar Flyton looked at her fellow teacher and mate Valtours Jumpson and gave him an odd nod of her head. Valtours returned the nod and held out his right hand to her with the second and ring fingers bent inside touching his palm. She took his hand in hers, duplicating the way he held his hand. As they touched, they hooked their bent in fingers together in such a way that activated the mating bond they shared that allowed the form of telepathy that most bonded Altearins shared.

"Beep Beep De Beep... Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red," repeated the android again before it turned around and started back toward the building.

Souladar and Valtours broke contact. Quickly they took a step away from each other and then Valtours turned back to the bus to insure the kids were ok. Souladar, meanwhile, slipped her shoes off and started running barefoot towards not the museum but the main building entrance some hundred yards in the other direction.

-xx-

Wade-A watched as Arthur reentered the museum then stopped at the display case that held the Kimmunicator. At his command the case opened and he looked on as Arthur reached out and picked up the device.

"I'm sorry Arthur," Wade-A told the android, "but I have to do this. Please forgive me."

The android made no response as it stood there holding the Kimmunicator waiting for something. Wade-A nodded then told it, "You have a job to do, best get started so I can free you," and then the android turned and walked out.

Watching it leave, Wade-A's face took on a sad expression for what he had done to his friend, but he knew it had to be done…

Silently he brought up the connections that Gillian had given him access to and brought up the schematics for BETA Mountain, paying close attention to the network and how it interconnected with the Mountain's entire computer system. He gave special attention to the information on Special Projects and all the information he could find on Wolf Den and the Series Five Ranger Implant.

'No turning back now,' he thought as for the first time in over 100 he did what he was created to do: gather information and provide support for Team Possible. Opening more connections, he started to use those to hack his way into others, and from there into even more systems.

-xx-

Souladar entered the building at a full run and almost crashed into the information and reception desk just 50 feet inside the main door. The earth human that had been manning the desk quickly stood up and started towards her.

"I'm Souladar Flyton," she told the man, "and I'm a teacher with _Navajo city school district. We just completed a tour of the Team Possible Museum when the android that had been conducting the tour started to act strangely."_

Before the man could ask her anything, every screen in the lobby went blank then started flashing the Team Possible Foundation logo while all the speakers started repeating the same message over and over again.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Timestamp: Approximately 1:00pm June 25, 2186**

**Location: BETA Mountain Complex, Arizona.**

Commander Joseph Walsh entered his office while reading a set of disturbing reports on the pad in his hands. As the door swooshed closed automatically behind him, he made his way to his desk then behind it to his chair without taking his eyes off the pad.

Unlike others inside Beta Mountain, his office was mostly spartan with very little in the way of decoration or ornamentation. There was just his simulated oak desk and time worn chair along with two simple, although comfortable, chairs for visitors to sit in. A picture of his wife sat on one side of the desk in a simple frame that he updated once a year. On opposing bright white walls hung two pictures, one was of the Beta Mountain Complex and the other was the Beta Space Station that had the Earth displayed prominently in the background. With its minimal decoration and its single solid color the office had been compared to a torture chamber at times, and for some that comparison would be accurate when coupled with the cool, almost icy demeanor that Walsh displayed at times; like now.

Reports had been coming in from some Andorian and Kirwin outlying colony worlds that didn't made sense. The colony worlds were reporting that their explorer ships were finding entire whole planets were either being destroyed or disappearing out on the far side of the Galaxy's rim in mostly uncharted space. There were also some spotty reports of the same happenings in the sectors of space that separated the League of Planets from Crown Space.

He had been trying to keep up with the reports as quickly as they came in. In the past, The Queen of The Crown had been known to destroy whole colonies before, but never to the point of totally destroying a whole planet till nothing was left but asteroids and dust particles or even less.

The reports, for the most part said the exact same thing; that mostly uninhabited planets were suddenly disappearing or were being destroyed. The reports also said that the scout ships were also finding that some inhabited worlds had suddenly developed strange markings found on a planetary scale that could clearly be seen from orbit. A few reports said that where a planet had been destroyed, and there were debris was left that was bigger than dust particles, parts of the same, or very similar markings could be found.

Based on the images that had been sent with the reports, the marks looked like they were either stamped into the ground like someone burning decorations into leather or they were dug or carved into the ground like some kind of engraving on metal… only hundreds of times bigger. The markings appeared to be shaped like large "V" or a "W" with the center separated and hovering in the center. The ends appear to be dripping like candle wax or blood running down a wall imposed over what might be a sword.

He still wasn't sure how the markings were created but suspected that it required immense amounts of power that was completely controlled like a painter manipulating a paint brush. Either way, the damn markings gave him the creeps. It was like a stain that one couldn't get out of a shirt and spread after you washed it. And then to top it off you had to wear the shirt anyway much to your own embarrassment. That was a feeling he didn't like. No, he didn't like that at all.

Someone or something with the power to leave those markings on a planetary scale and make them big enough to be seen from orbit was a force that he needed to know about and know as much as he could as fast has he could. Unfortunately everything that came in right now was a day late and a credit short.

And as if that wasn't enough while digging into the information that he had he found something oddly disturbing. Of the worlds that had been mysteriously attacked, only those that had a humanoid population had been totally destroyed… a humanoid population that very closely resembled Earth Humans. Otherwise, the population basically woke up and found the strange markings all over the planet. Another was that the planets in question appeared to form a direct or mostly direct line… a line that if it was extended outward and onward lead directly to the Sol system.

Directly to Earth.

The newest reports weren't helpful. The latest planet to have been "visited" by this unknown force had had a mix of races living on it, mostly alien and mostly non-humanoid. There were some reports that said a couple of ships that had been in the sector reported that their scanners had detected a very large number of unknown spacecraft in the area.

Deciding that he had to have more information and that that data had to come from a source that was not third or fourth hand at best, Walsh put the pad down and started reaching across his desk to activate his terminal when it activated itself. Immediately he knew this was not a "good thing".

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

He sat back and just looked at the terminal like it had suddenly sprouted legs and started to dance. The image of Buzzwang suddenly sprang into his mind. Buzzwang was the only android Ranger and was known for his habit of dancing at odd times. And do to his fascination with the past; the years of 1975 through 1995 most of the time, those dance steps could be a bit odd. He remembered Doc Hartford telling him that the dances were a combination of things called "Break Dancing," "Disco," and something called "Moonwalking," whatever that was. It could be that one of Q-Ball's newest inventions, combined with Hartford's programming could quite truthfully have the terminal sprout legs and start dancing. Why that image or fact came to mind didn't make any sense at all. "I've got to get out of this place for some fresh air one of these days," he said under his breath.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

As he started to stand up, the terminal's screen suddenly activated and lit up. On the screen were three letters in dark and lighter shades of green, the second letter was slightly lower then the first and the third slightly lower then the second. Around the letters was band of green in an elliptical shape. The letters started to spin slowly one way with the circle around them spinning the other.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

He watched as the letters made a complete circle then he reached out with his right hand and touched the screen…

nothing happened.

Removing his hand, he moved it to the right hand corner of the desk and pressed a hidden button just under the desk top lip. The corresponding corner of the desk top noiselessly slid aside to reveal a hidden compartment.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

From inside the hidden compartment a wand rose up along with a headset. He picked up the headset and put it on. Then he plugged a small cord from the headset into the wand and pressed a series of the buttons on the wand and heard a number of faint clicks over the headset.

The wand had been giving to him when he was given Command of Wolf Den and the Supertrooper project years ago. It had given him complete control of the Wolf Den Complex, including all its defense and offensive weapons along with its commutations facilities. When the Supertrooper project had failed so spectacularly, the government wanted to sweep it under the rug along with all evidence that it had ever happened and never speak about it again. However, there were a few odds and ends that had to be sorted out for the Suptertrooper project to "disappear" and most of them involved him.

He had been given command of Beta Mountain and the Rangers, reporting only to the Board of Commissioners…for the most part. His first actions had been the creation of the Series 5 team and having the wand modified so that it could control the systems in Beta Mountain as a system override control. He placed one end of the wand into a recess on the terminal and heard another set of faint clicks over the headset.

The green letters and their elliptical circle faded slightly as the Beta Mountain logo appeared on the screen behind them.

"Command Center," he said into the headset.

The Beta logo disappeared and was replaced with an image that showed a man standing in what appeared to be some kind of control center. Behind him were a large number of screens that had people stationed in front of them, and all of them looking like they were quickly trying to do something as every screen was displaying the same thing… the same three green letters and their surrounding green elliptical circle.

Before the man could say anything, Walsh spoke up.

"Let me guess Lt., there something strange going on with Beta's computers?"

"Yes Commander."

"And it's affecting all of Beta's computer systems?" he asked.

"Based on reports, it would appear that every computer screen in the whole mountain is displaying the same thing: The letters TPF in two shades of green inside an elliptical circle that is also green."

Walsh looked at the young faced Lt looking out at him from behind the superimposed image on his screen then asked, "Is it damaging the systems?"

"No Commander, at least not yet anyway. It's just superposing its self over everything and being a nuisance in general. We are trying to reach Q-Ball or Ranger Hartford, but so far we have not heard from either of them."

Nodding his head, Walsh told the Lieutenant that he was on his way then the young man disappeared from the screen but the green letters and their elliptical circle remained.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

Walsh removed the wand from the terminal and unhooked the headset from the wand. Next he replaced the headset onto its holder and slipped the wand into a hidden pocket that was part of his pants then pressed the button and watched the empty holder and headset lower back into the desk and the cover close, completely hiding the compartment again.

Once the compartment was closed, Commander Joseph Walsh made his way around his desk and was outside his office with the door closing behind him and on his way to the Control Center.

The alert message repeating over the complex's speakers.

Walsh shook his head as he muttered under his breath "Why doesn't someone just turn down the volume control damn it!"

-xx-

Souladar Flyton was telling her story about the odd acting android for the third time to a third human.

"Yes I understand that it's unlikely but it did happen. The Android suddenly stopped in mid motion and started saying the same thing that the speakers here are saying now." She paused as she had timed this telling to match the pattern that the speakers had been repeating the same message that she heard at the android repeat at the bus.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

As the message ended an unknown door that connected the lobby to the museum opened and Arthur ended the lobby. Souladar watched as all three humans moved toward the android when it stopped moving. The android just stood there for a few seconds as if it could not figure out where it needed to go.

Just as the humans got close the speakers once again repeated the message and the android joined them.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

The android then turned to face a hallway off to one side that had a sign hanging from the door fame that said no one was allowed beyond this point without an escort and started toward it. It had taken three steps before the three humans were in front of it, blocking its path. The android paused for a moment as the men started giving it commands that should have stopped it and deactivated it as well, then it used the hand not holding a small blue device and pushed the nearest human hard enough to force him off his feet and onto his butt with enough energy left over to slide him across the lobby and against the wall. Before the other two could react, they found themselves joining their companion at the wall as the android and the speakers repeated the message again then the android started down the hallway.

"What just happened?" one of the humans asked, rubbing the back of his head as another said "That was odd" as he held his lower back.

Souladar shook her head as she moved over to the humans to see if they were alright.

"Silly humans," she muttered under her breath so low that they couldn't hear her. "It's a machine for crying out loud."

-xx-

Commander Walsh entered the Control Center and found himself in a place of semi-controlled chaos with technical personal scrambling to find out what had caused this to happen in the first place.

"I think this will get it," said a tech bent over one of the consoles, buried up to his waist. With those words, most of the lights in center blinked out.

"Guess not," he said as the lights came back on and he stood up, his face covered in dust and small electrical burns.

"Report," Walsh called out to the room in large.

"Sir, we still have not found out the reason for the repeating message. But we have learned that it's not a standard Code Red" said the Tech that had his head stuck in the console.

Walsh was glad to hear that, as a standard "Code Red" meant some planetary emergency.

"What we do know is that it appears to be coming from somewhere deep inside the Beta Mountain complex."

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

"Get Q-Ball and Doc Hartford in here now." Walsh said, his tone serious. "And see if you can turn down the volume too!"

"Q-Ball is in route now Commander and Doc Hartford is currently with Captain Foxx's team. They are in transit from Tortuna and have an ETA of over two hours Sir."

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

After that last repeat, the doors slid open and a man hurried into the room. He was dressed in a white lab coat over white pants and black shoes. His head was bald and around his eyes he wore what looked like a combination of goggles and glasses with a slightly yellow tint to the lens.

"Q-Ball," Walsh said as he watched the thin bald man make a bee-line straight for the consoles.

"Give me a few moments Commander," Q-Ball said as he took a seat and let his fingers start flying over a number of keyboards.

On the screens, the three letters and their circle continued their predominance. Q-Ball worked for three minutes, never saying anything, then with a flourish he struck a single key with an outreached finger.

The screens went blank for a second, and then displayed the logo for Beta.

"It's a simple algorithm that somehow managed to get into the system. It's perfectly harmless, but a bit annoying. I've trapped it into a subroutine and locked it off until Hartford can take a look at it. I think he will find it interesting." Q-Ball said with a bit of a smug look on his face.

The look vanished in an instant as every screen suddenly placed the three letters and the circle over the Beta logo and the speakers sounded out again.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

This time however, the message repeated in one continuous drone.

"Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep De Beep… Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red."

Walsh looked at the goggled man and rubbed his face with one hand. Rolling his eyes, Q-Ball's smugness vanished into instant nothingness.

"I don't understand how it could have escaped from the subroutine. It's just a repeating audio file coupled with a repeating video file. I double checked the algorithm; it's not trying to rewrite any code or hacking into any systems. It's just irritating."

The genius paused for a moment as the Red Alert message kept repeating continuously then went on.

"Give me a little more time Commander Walsh and I'll get it stopped. Hartford is on the way and if I can't get it stopped, he should with one of his tweekers."

The message kept going, "Beep Beep De Beep. Code Red, repeat this is a Code Red. Beep Beep…," then just stopped cold.

Around the room, techs stared and Q-Ball dove back at the keyboard. On the screens, the three letters and their encasing circle flared once then moved from the center of the screen to the lower right hand corner. Replacing the letters in the center of the screen, an image of a dark skinned young man appeared.

"Commander Walsh?" the image asked.

"I'm Commander Walsh," Walsh replied as he stepped into the center of the room and looked up at the image on the largest screen in the command center.

"Sorry Commander, but I need to be sure," the image said as the door opened again and an android entered carrying a small blue device in one hand.

The android moved into the room then stopped when it was in front of Walsh and held the device up. A bluish green light emitted from the device and the android moved the device upwards until the light was just above Walsh's head, then slowly lowered the device making the light travel down Walsh's body all the way to his boots. As the android lowered the device, Walsh managed a good look at it. It was small, had what looked like a circle of buttons on it with a single button inside the circle off to one side, and a screen that took up most of the upper half of the device. On the screen, what looked like a deoxyribonucleic string was on one half of the screen while the other half said "SCANNING."

When the light reached his boots a second deoxyribonucleic string replaced the word "scanning" and over them both appeared the words "analyzing and comparing" with a small bar graph under them. Walsh could see the bar moving from the left to the right. When the bar reached the right side of the screen, Walsh watched the display on the little device change to show his picture with his name superimposed over it along with "Id Confirmed."

The young man on the screen seemed to be relieved at the device's findings.

"I'm sorry I had to do that Commander, but I had to make sure. Kim left me very strict instructions. I was to find you on June 25, 2186 after approximately 1:00pm. If you will give me a moment, I'll explain everything the best that I can."

With that, the man's face took on a look of intense concentration. When his face returned to the look it had earlier, the android moved.

"Where am I?" it asked.

"I'm sorry Arthur, but I needed help in finding Commander Walsh. The only thing I had to go on was the DNA sample Kim left for me and a picture. I needed to find a match and couldn't trust the records in the Beta computer systems. So I used you to scan the Commander with the only scanner that I knew I could trust."

Arthur looked at the device in his hand then up to the image of his friend on the screen.

"If you would give that to the Commander, I've already made an appointment for you with the Maintenance department to check and make sure you're ok Arthur." The image on the screen said.

Walsh watched as the android, Arthur, held out the blue device to him. He took it and Arthur turned to the door.

"Wade-A, to quote one of Kim's friends: "you got some 'splainin to do!""

"I will my friend, I promise" Wade-A said as Arthur walked out the door. Once the android was gone, the image focused his attention on Walsh.

"I guess I'd better introduce myself Commander. I'm Wade-A."

"Some kind of AI I would guess" Q-Ball spoke up as he got up and stood beside Walsh. "Similar to Sandi that runs the day to day operations here in the mountain, but not as complex."

Wade-A managed to not show any reaction to the man's comments while thinking to himself 'If you only knew that your so-called "sophisticated" AI and I have been married and running around together for over 100 years.'

"I'm the AI that ran the Team Possible Foundation computer systems from the inside while my creator Wade Agamemnon Load ran it from the outside." Wade-A smiled.

"You're the AI from the Team Possible exhibit at the museum." Q-Ball said as he snapped his fingers.

'Dear Lord, we may be in trouble' Wade-A thought at Q-Ball's response and laughed to himself as it reminded him of a certain redhead's father. He quickly accessed Beta's files on this "Q-Ball" and saw that while he was super brainy, he could be a bit slow at times. Just like a few other people he had known long ago.

Walsh remembered the exhibit. He had thought it fitting that the world never forgot Team Possible, especially after he had read their histories. Suddenly, everything seemed to click in his mind.

"Team Possible Foundation… This was totally your doing then." Walsh said, a look that was not nice on his face.

"Yes Commander, I'm afraid so. Kim told me that this might be the only way to get your attention. She said that all I had to do to find you was to mess around with the Rangers or Beta communications and you would show up. She said that you were very protective of your teams and pretty hands on with them. That you kind of treated them like they were you kids… especially Captain Foxx's team." Wade-A's smile really got big as he used the sensors in the Command Center to watch Walsh and see the blush that flashed across his face.

Walsh looked at Q-Ball and saw him trying to hide a smile.

"And would you like to tell me why you just disrupted the whole mountain to find me?" Walsh asked.

"Like I said Commander, Kim said that it was the only way to contact you quickly." Wade-A said then the image on the screen changed to show the same young man, but this time he was sitting behind a desk that had a number of stacks of paper on it. Wade-A shuffled though a couple of stacks and then with a smile pulled out a folder.

"I'm willing to bet your next paycheck Commander that you have been getting some troubling reports from the outer colonies in the past few weeks, it not longer. I'm also willing to bet Rufus' secret stash of aged smoked Gouda and a wheel of prime English Cheddar that inside those reports is an image that looks vaguely like this" and with Wade-A removed what looked like a piece of paper from the folder then made a throwing gesture with it. The paper flew to the bottom left corner of the screen away from of the TPF logo, and a image appeared there.

Walsh almost gasped at what he saw…

The image showed strange markings that appeared to be either burned into the ground like someone etching decorations into leather or they were dug or carved into the ground like some engraving on metal… only hundreds of times bigger. Markings that appeared to be shaped like large "V" or a "W" with the upward center separated and hovering in the center. The ends appear to be dripping like candle wax or blood running down a wall imposed over what might be a sword.

"Look familiar Commander?" Wade-A asked.

Walsh did his best to not let anything show on his face as he looked at a copy of the images from he file. That file and its reports was known to only three people in the complex and he would like to keep it that way.

Wade-A watched Walsh's face. A human would most likely not have noticed the small twitches, but was something different.

"I want everyone out, but you Q-Ball. Assign some personal to check over the computer systems and insure that this little prank was harmless." Walsh said then watched as the room cleared quickly. Q-Ball called out two names and told them to run a complete diagnostic on the whole complex's computer systems.

Once the room was cleared of personal, Walsh and Q-Ball turned their complete attention to the AI on the screen.

"Explain how you got into Beta's systems, how you arranged to interrupt the whole damn system, and why." Walsh said.

"Then if I were you I'd get comfortable Commander. This may take a while," Wade-A said with a smile.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Walsh stood there and looked at the avatar on the screen and tried to remember the last time that someone had said something like that to him that wasn't his wife.

"Kim said you would ask questions Commander," the AI said as the image changed, now the young man was setting in an elaborate chair behind a desk in what looked like some old style private library that had been taken straight out of some very old Holo-movie. The chair back rose over his head and was upholstered in what looked like soft red velvet. The bookshelves behind him were full of multicolored books. He thought he could even make out two of the titles: A tale of Two Cities and Tom Sawyer.

"Kim told me to tell you," Wade-A said from that Victorian chair, "that although you were quite nice to her and Ron and that you have looked out for her friends quite well over the years, you really should take Walter's advice and take some time off and go on a vacation to someplace nice. Maybe take Shane and Niko's suggestion and take your wife to New Paris for a week."

Wade-A's comment took Walsh by surprise and he just stood there open mouthed. His wife had been asking him to take time off and go on vacation… go someplace where he didn't have to worry about the Rangers or the Bureau for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs or the League of Worlds. Go someplace where he could relax and just be Joseph Walsh for a while; not Commander Walsh.

"Mary has been telling you that for years Sir," Q-Ball said behind a smirk.

Before Walsh could say something, Wade-A went on.

"I'm really sorry Commander, but we really don't have a lot of time here. Kim said that you would more then likely need a bit of proof that I'm on the level with you, so how about we start here: do you recognize this ship?" Wade-A asked as he reached over to a folder that was setting on the desk, opened it, and removed a sheet of paper from inside only to lightly toss it to his right. The thrown paper disappeared from the screen showing the library as the screen on the right changed to display a picture of a fairly large ship.

It had a Delta Wing design that was common to most of Beta's Cruiser class ships that started not quite at the half way point with the Twin engine pods that rested one on top of and one below the main fuselage. The fuselage was white along with the engine pods but had a large blue stripe that went down the center and up and over at the nose; the engine pods were also trimmed in blue as well. All in all at first glance it was one of any number of Cruisers that were part of Beta's fleet.

Then he took a second harder look, and it was clear that the ship had been modified.

Over the wings, tucked in tight along the fuselage, were additions that reminded him of the engine pods from an Interceptor class ship. The additions were low and could possibly be mistaken for a trick of the eye, but Walsh knew better as alarm bells started in his head.

The additional drives marked the ship clearly in his mind as one that shouldn't have had a picture taken of it. But even more of an attention getter for him was the background of the picture. It wasn't the normal star field that you would see with a picture taken in space, nor was it a hanger. The background looked like some valley from one of a number of planets that were similar to Earth, if not Earth itself. Then he saw that the cargo area was lowered and could see people moving around it.

'That's the experimental Class 4 Cruiser.' He said to himself, "it's supposed to be locked away at Longshot.'

But the question that was on the floor still remained: do you recognize this ship? Oh he knew it alright, but there was no way he was going to admit it.

He didn't have to; Q-Ball did it for him.

"Where did you get that? That ship was destroyed."

"I got the picture from Kim. It's her and Ron's "ride." If you have any doubts about the picture being real, check out the watermark stamp," Wade-A said as one corner of the picture was brought up to full screen and the date was clearly visible: June 2011. He went on, "According to your records; there was only one Class 4 experimental Cruiser with quantum drives ever built by BETA. According to the official reports, that ship was destroyed during it first test flight."

Wade-A paused for a second then added "However…"

With that, another screen went from displaying the three letters TPF and their circle to showing a number of pictures that clearly shown there hadn't been one of the experimental craft built… there had been two.

"Sometimes Commander, official records can be off." Wade-A said, "It's been my experience with Governments of any kind that a very old saying holds true: "Why just build one when you can build two at thrice the price."" His face was the face of an innocent.

Walsh and Q-Ball exchange looks then turn back to the monitor.

"Commander," Wade-A told them, "I have to stress again that we really don't have a lot of time. According to the records that Kim gave me, you have a very short time before Earth space is going to some unwanted guests. In that time there are a number of things that need to be done if you are to get the help that not only Earth, but the League needs.

If you come to the Museum, I promise that I'll answer all your questions and give you additional proof I'm on the level. But you need to hurry."

"You will release Beta's computer systems?" Walsh asked.

Wade-A closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, all of the computer screens returned to normal.

"Very well. Q-Ball, I want you to stay here and contact Captain Foxx. Get his team here and have them report to me at the museum." And with that Walsh turned and left the room as Wade-A said "I promise Q-Ball, the computers are fine and no harm was done to them… I just needed to get the Commander's attention quickly."

Walsh quickly made his way to the Team Possible exhibit in the complex. As he stood outside the door, he could hear the voice of Wade-A talking to someone. A female with a heavy Australian accent based on what he could hear.

"Q-Ball as contacted Foxx's team and they are on their way Woodrow. I estimate that they should be here within the hour. Ranger 1 is the fastest Cruiser in the fleet and Goose is pushing the drives at over 110 percent."

"Kim's been right so far and she did say that once the Commander contacted them they would get here quickly. I just hope that she is right about everything else Gillian." The male voice, Wade-A, paused for a moment then went on, "This is a cornucopia of disturbing things… knowing that I have to convince Commander Walsh that he needs our help, all the while knowing that I've already done it but not knowing how I did it in the first place. No wonder Wade got migraines while working on his two dissertations on theoretical physics and quantum mechanics and their relationships to and with temporal physics and causality loops."

"Wade knew that he could never prove his theories before he died, that's why he left it to you. You've had his notes and talks to work with along with 100 years of advances in technology and sciences to finish his work. Never mind the fact that you know that his theories and hypothesis are right otherwise we wouldn't be here having this discussion in the first place." The female voice that Wade-A identified as Gillian said. Walsh could hear a smile and a bit of a laugh in her voice.

"If I didn't know better Gillian, I would swear you are teasing me about my age."

Walsh heard a very decided female giggle.

"I'm just saying."

"Oh. Remind me my love, just what is our age difference again?"

Walsh managed not to chuckle himself at the sound that came from the woman Gillian… just like any woman he knew when her age was brought up. 'Well you did fire the first shot' he thought as he keep listening to the conversation in the room.

"Has any of the information that Kim gave you been wrong yet?" Gillian's voice asked, changing the subject, with a tone that said it was in someone's best interest to let the first subject drop and that her question was rhetorical.

When there was no reply, she went on "You know Kim better than I do and I can hear her now Woodrow," there was a brief pause, almost no pause really, before another female voice said "Anything is possible for a Possible," then the no pause repeated before Gillian's voice continued with, "I'm sure it's going to be ok. I better go; Commander Walsh is listening in at the door."

"I'll see you in a bit. Come in Commander Walsh."

Hiding his surprise at being found out so easily, Walsh crossed the doorway and entered the main area of the museum. He didn't notice the doorway sealing itself with a force-field that blocked out the sounds of the doors closing and locking behind him.

At the center of the room, Walsh saw the same young man that had been talking to him on the screen standing beside the hologram projector that was displaying the TPF logo that had been on every computer screen in Beta a short time ago.

"Hello Commander," Wade-A said, "welcome to my humble abode."

Walsh stared intently at the young man for a moment, taking in all the details. He stood at what he guessed was around Six foot tall and looked somewhere around 200 pounds with close cut hair. That is if he wasn't looking at what had to be one of the most sophisticated holograms that he had ever seen.

"You said that you had something to show me."

"Yes Sir. If you would put the Kimmunicator back over there," Wade-A said as he pointed to the stand were the device had been stored for many years, "then give me a moment."

Walsh fought down the urge to start asking questions and instead replaced the small device, a communicator the AI said but he somehow knew what he heard and what the AI meant weren't exactly the same, back on the indicated stand. Once in place, the same bluish green light reappeared from it only to be joined by one coming from the base of the hologram projector where the TPF logo was slowly spinning.

Both lights slowly moved up from Walsh's feet to the top of his head then back down again. Inside the projector the double DNA strands that had been on the hand-held device reappeared and once again did a comparison. When the display again confirmed Walsh, Wade-A smiled while unknown to Walsh the whole museum complex went into lock-down trapping Walsh inside and alone with the hologram.

"Again, please let me apologize for disrupting the daily operations of Beta Mountain Commander. It really is very important that I talk to you." Wade-A said as the projector returned to displaying the TPF logo.

"So you keep saying." Walsh replied. "However you still haven't answered my questions: how did you break into Beta's computer systems and did what you did, how you know about classified reports that only I'm supposed to have access too, and what information do you have on the disturbances on the out laying worlds."

He paused for a second then added, "And I assume that you know that I was listening at the door for a few minutes, so who was the woman that you were talking to?"

"The last question is the easiest to answer Commander, he was talking to me." came the reply not from the hologram in front of him, but from a new one that appeared beside him: a woman that looked to be in her early to mid 20's with alabaster skin and long blue hair that fell to her waist that was wearing a Ranger Jumpsuit with 4 inch heeled boots.

"And you are?" Walsh asked as the female hologram moved to stand beside Wade-A.

The woman took on a very hurt look as she said with a heavy Australian accent, "Now I'm deeply hurt that you don't recognize me Commander. After all, we have been working together for the past 10 and a half years. Maybe if I looked like this?" Her appearance instantly changed. Now she had short brunet hair that barely came below her ears and deep blue eyes and a face that was more heart shaped now. "Recognize me now Commander?" she asked in a mid-west American accent.

"Sandi?" he asked and when she nodded she returned to the blue haired woman from a moment ago.

"But…" he started but stopped as him mind starting racing. Q-Ball, a little over 10 years ago, had come to him with an idea on how to make the different computer systems in Beta Mountain work together better; a program that would interface with workers and programmers that would integrate the various systems seamlessly. He called it "Systems Artificial-Intelligence Device Interface" or Sandi for short.

"Commander, let me introduce you to my wife Gillian."

One of the reasons that Walsh had been given command of the Supertrooper project and then Beta Mountain and its Rangers was the fact that he could think quickly on his feet and it took a lot throw him off. But this was doing a good job; either Q-Ball didn't know about it or had co-op'ed the female AI and didn't tell anyone.

Walsh was hoping for the first because he didn't like were the second could take him. He would have to find out the answer later, but not now.

"I've been monitoring your talks with my husband Commander. You need to understand what is happening or what is about to happen." Gillian said. "Woodrow is right Commander. We don't have much time. I've seen the reports that you two were talking about. We've seen markings like that before Commander," she said gesturing to herself and Wade-A,"and I can tell you that with all that I know of Beta's resources and those of the League, I'm not sure Beta, the League, or Earth it's self will survive if what we think is about to happen happens and you are not ready or have the help we know you need."

"How about we all take a seat and we'll get started." Wade-A said as he waved his hand and three comfortable chairs appeared. Walsh watched the pair of holograms took a seat then looked at the chair that had appeared beside him apprehensively.

"Don't worry Commander; the holo-technology that we use here is a tad more sophisticated than anywhere else in the complex. I assure you your chair is quite solid." Gillian said with a smile.

Walsh sat in the chair and found that is supported his weight well. 'Ok,' he thought, 'time to start talking.'

Walsh gave each of the holograms with him a look that said "Let's get on with it." Wade-A returned the look with a lopsided grin of his own then asked, "Tell me Commander, what do you know about theoretical physics, quantum mechanics and their relationships to and with temporal physics and causality loops?"

For the next fifteen minutes Walsh sat and listened to a lecture on the basics of Theoretical physics, quantum mechanics along with temporal physics and causality loops, then spent thirty minutes listening to everything that Wade-A and Gillian showed him about who and what they thought was heading towards League space and Earth. Walsh, still not totally convinced about it all, brought up at length how two sophisticated AI's could have manipulated the photos and the information that he had been shown.

His gut told him that they were being truthful with him… at least so far. But he wanted to push them, to see if they were holding information back.

Finally Gillian appeared to have had enough.

"Commander, if we have not convinced you by now we're not going too. But maybe someone else can." Gillian said as she gestured and the hologram area where she and Wade-A had been showing their evidence to Walsh changed again and a very familiar face looked out at him.

Walsh felt emotions race through him at the image, thoughts of anger, hurt, and betrayal. But the foremost thought that raced through his mind was that he had finally pushed Wade-A and Sandi, or Gillian as Wade-A called her, too far. He started to say something about video trickery, but the image cut him off.

"If you are watching this Joseph, then you have been your normal stubborn self and pushed these two more then you should. So I'm here to tell you to set your butt down, shut up, and listen… Joey."

Walsh looked into an image of a face that he knew all too well and mouthed the name it had called him… a name that no one had called him since his mother had died over 20 years ago. One thought crossed his mind, and escaped his lips in a hushed whisper:

"Oh my God."

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

A car raced down the access ramp and across the bridge where earlier a school bus had done much the same thing but at a more normal pace, dust flying from its passage as its anti-gravity units whined in protest. Firing thrusters, the car slowed from its hell bent for leather speed to a dead stop in front of Beta Mountain's visitor center in a cloud of dust that swallowed it whole. As the dust cloud started to settle, two men left the visitors center entrance and quickly made their way to the car as it settled to the ground. With the dust still hanging about the lower part of the car, the canopy opened with a faint whirling hum to let the car's four occupants exit.

The first out was a brown haired man with light blue eyes that peeked out from under the brim his white hat with a blue band. His shirt was mostly a deep blue with a white collar that stood up around his neck. There was also what looked like white shoulder pads that ran from the collar, across his shoulders, and slightly down his arms stopping just short of his biceps. He had on white gloves that faired out and looked like gauntlets and the front of his shirt had a wide white patch that was open at the top and looked like a racing stripe down the front. Blue pants were tucked inside a pair of white boots that ended just over his knees. A white stripe started at his waist and ran down the outside seam of the pants also disappeared into the boots. Around his waist was light tan belt, and hanging from the right side was a holster complete with gun.

Following him was a dark skinned man with short black curly hair, brown eyes, and a black moustache. His clothes were a match to the first one's except his blue pants covered his white boots. Like the first, he wore a tan belt around his waist and on its right side also hung a holster and gun while on his left was something that looked like a medium sized canteen.

Third out was a woman with long flowing red hair that fell past her waist and down to her thighs. Where the two men before her wore what looked to be shirts and pants; she wore a solid white jumpsuit with the same shoulder pads as the men but in blue. The legs tucked into blue boots that stopped just short of her knees except for small pads that covered her knee caps. Slung low on her left leg, hanging from a white belt, was a long holster that ran from her hip to her knee with a gun butt sticking out of the top.

The fourth, another man but this time blonde haired, vaulted out of the car from behind the controls as if he had been ejected. Like the first two men, he wore a blue shirt and pants with the same white shoulder pads and the same white highlight's. Like the dark skinned man he had his pants over his boots. The collar of his shirt was more open with the white panel folded and buttoned down. Around his neck was a white scarf that was tied into a knot on the right side. He too wore a tan belt around his waist, but unlike the others his had twin holsters and guns that hung from the belt riding low on his hips and thighs.

All three men wore a golden badge on their chests just above their hearts. The woman had one too, but hers was on her belt as if it were a belt buckle. The badges were a five pointed star with a small dot at each point set inside a ring of gold forming a band. At the end of the star point that pointed straight up, engraved into the band, was the word "Galaxy". At the bottom, bridging the two points that made the bottom of the star was engraved another word: "Ranger."

As all four started towards the entrance, the dark skinned man turn his head to the blonde and said, "Well my Gooseman, I see you still haven't lost your touch."

"You know me Doc," the blonde answered in a low throaty tone, "I try to stay sharp." Turning his head back to the car, the blonde called out, "Elma, run a systems check since Doc's a bit worried about the car."

From within the empty car, a husky female voice said, "Systems check running Goose."

The two men from the center meet the four about half way. As they turned to accompany the four, one said "Captain Foxx, I'm Ben McTurner. Commander Walsh gave us orders to escort you to the museum as soon as you arrived."

The brown haired man nodded his head. "Has the status changed?"

"Yes Sir," McTurner said, "just before we came out to meet you, we got word that the exhibit doors shut and the staff that was stationed nearby per Commander Walsh's orders can't get in."

"Could be part of the computer problem we were told about" said the dark skinned man the blonde had called Doc.

As all six entered the lobby, the brown haired man that had been called Captain Foxx stopped and turned to face the woman.

"Can you sense anything Niko?" he asked.

The red haired woman reached down with her left hand and touched the badge at her waist. Her eyes took on a far-away look as if she was suddenly looking at something that only she could see as the badge flashed a faint golden light for a second. The look stayed there for only a moment or so before she looked at Foxx.

"Commander Walsh is fine Zachary," she said, "but he appears to be a bit shocked about something. Or maybe surprised might be a better word." She paused for a second then added, "He's here in the building, down that hallway," and then she pointed the way.

"That leads to the Team Possible wing," McTurner said.

"We'll take it from here," Foxx said as he and his team started down the hallway and few minutes later all four were standing in front of the closed door to the Team Possible wing.

The blonde, Goose, stepped up to the lock beside the door and give it and the doorframe a quick look. Removing his glove he placed his now bare right hand over the palm reader. The only reaction was the reader gave a short beep.

"Yep, locked" he said as he replaced his glove.

"Let me try," Doc said as he took Goose's place at palm reader. Reaching around, he removed the odd looking canteen from his belt.

"The Doctor will operate," he said as he pressed the badge on his chest with his free hand. The badge, like the one at Niko's waist, flashed a faint golden light as he moved to hold the canteen like object in both hands and pressed a hidden button. Without warning, the odd little cap at the top of the object opened up and a purple colored, semitransparent diamond appeared and hovered over the opening with multi colored lights moving around inside.

"Tripwire," Doc called, "up and a' them. See if you can get us inside."

From within the diamond, one of the lights jumped out and headed towards the panel.

"Let me at it," a high pitched squeaky voice that seemed to come from the light answered before it melted into the panel. Instantly every light on the panel lit up and started to flash. Seconds later the light reappeared and returned to the diamond.

"You're not going to believe this Doc," the squeaky voice said just as the panel lights stopped flashing and a red light tuned on at the top of the panel with the word "locked" in black at the center. "Something was waiting for me. The best that I could do was getting it to allow entry of authorized personal," the voice said then the diamond disappeared as Doc pressed the hidden button. The cap closed and as he replaced the object back on his belt a voice came out of the panel.

"This area is under lock down, only authorized personal allowed beyond this point. Sensors are detecting four individuals in the area. Please step forward, place your palm on the reader and state your name for clearance confirmation or please leave the area immediately." the voice said as the palm reader lit up.

Shrugging his shoulders, Doc removed the glove from his right hand then placed it on the reader.

"Ranger Walter Hartford," Doc said.

A green light scanned his palm up and down three times as another green light from just to the side of the panel scanned him from head to booted feet.

"Ranger Walter Hartford: Voice and palm print along with body scan confirmed, access granted," the voice said.

"Mrs. Abercrombie always said, sometimes it's best to try the simple way first." Doc said as he stepped away from the panel and replaced his glove.

Removing his glove, Goose took Doc's place and put his hand on the scanner. "Ranger Shane Gooseman," he said.

As with Doc, Goose was scanned by the twin lights.

"Ranger Shane Gosseman: Voice and palm print along with body scan confirmed, access granted," the voice said.

Goose stepped away, replaced his glove, and watched as Foxx removed his left glove. Raising an eyebrow, Goose watched as Foxx placed his bare hand on the scanner and said "Captain Zachary Foxx."

The twin lights once again reappeared, but this time the voice said something different.

"Identity cannot be confirmed. Scans have detected significant Bionic reconstruction. Records on file for Captain Zackary Foxx confirm bionic reconstruction for the majority of the left side of his body. Re-initiate identity confirmation by using your right hand."

Foxx raised an eyebrow and give the panel an odd look as he removed his right glove and placed that now bare hand on the scanner and repeated his name. Again the twin lights scanned him. This time, when the voice came back, it gave the same response that it had to Doc and Goose.

"Ranger Zachary Foxx: Voice and palm print along with body scan confirmed, access granted."

"Interesting," whispered Doc as he rubbed his chin with one hand.

Lastly, Niko stepped up the panel. Unlike the men, she didn't have on any gloves so she just placed her right hand on the scanner.

"Ranger Niko," she said as she touched her badge with her left hand.

The badge flashed just as the twin scanning lights appeared. Niko closed her eyes and gave the impression of someone trying very hard to remember something from some far long lost corner of her mind.

"Ranger Niko: Voice and palm print along with body scan confirmed, access granted." the voice said.

There was a brief pause before the door opened and the voice from the panel said, "Welcome Galaxy Rangers to the Team Possible Foundation museum. We've been waiting for you."

Niko opened her eyes and removed her hand from the panel then all four walked through the door which closed behind them. They all stopped as Zachary turned to Niko and raised an eyebrow. Niko did not respond to the unspoken question for a moment while that look of somehow trying to puzzling out something still dominated her face.

"There's something off here," Niko said as her face changed to a thoughtful expression as she brought up her left hand to cup her own chin; her index finger curling around her lips and appearing to stroke her chin. "There's intelligence at work here. It's sure of its self, but I sense worry and a need for haste. The only time I've felt anything like this was on Tarkon."

Doc suddenly recalled the vast computer system that had been hidden from the "technology" fearing people of the planet. They only knew of its existence has a myth called "The Heart of Tarkon" that was said to protect them. He and Niko had uncovered on a visit there. In truth, it controlled a vast planet wide defense system on the planet's moons.

"So this is like the Heart of Tarkon?" Doc asked.

Niko clearly thought about her answer for a moment then said, "No, not like… just similar. This is not as old."

They continued on and moments later they entered the main area of the exhibit to find Commander Walsh setting on a comfortable looking chair talking to a young man and woman that were setting on a couch across from him.

"Commander," Foxx said announcing his team's presence.

"Zachary," Walsh said while turning to face his rangers, "this is Wade-A and Gillian."

All four newcomers nodded at the young couple then Walsh went on.

"They've been telling me about a problem they thought was important enough to disrupt Beta Mountain's computer systems to get my attention." Walsh informed them.

Foxx never took his attention off the couple as Walsh told them this, watching for any signs that would give him a hint as to what he was dealing with.

Doc shifted to a more relaxed pose now that he had the reason for the computer disruption in the complex's systems that Q-Ball had told him about.

Niko, like Foxx, never took her attention off the pair as she tried to read the couple. Her teachers on Xanadu had said that her innate psychic abilities were strong, and she could normally sense those around her; if only as a feeling of someone close-by. Now however she could only sense her companions and Walsh. She could see the couple sitting there with Walsh but as far as her "feelings" went they didn't exist. Adding this to the information that she had already, she started to fit the pieces of the puzzle together: intelligence coupled with knowledge along with a sense of self assuredness mixed with worry and need combined with whatever was here that felt similar to the great living computer on Tarkon.

Then she remembered what some considered the main reason for this exhibit to continue in the first place: not as a remembrance to an organization that was around over 100 years ago, but to save the oldest and longest running Artificial Intelligence on the planet. Everything added up to her as she looked the two young people in the eye and informed them without preamble, "Your holograms."

Gillian smiled at her and nodded. "Kim did say she enjoyed working with you."

"Kim?" asked Niko.

"Kimberly Ann Stoppable, Kim Stoppable, Kimberly Ann Possible, or has most of the world knew her: Kim Possible. We always just called her Kim," Wade-A said as he stood up. "Now that everyone is here, let's get started."

"How about we start here," Gillian said as she too stood up and with a wave of her hand the couch disappeared.

"Ranger Hartford, I believe you might know this person." Gillian said as she stood and with a wave of her hand the couch disappeared and her image shimmered for just a second as her appearance changed from a woman in her mid 20's with alabaster skin and long blue hair that fell to her waist to what was basically the same woman, but now she had short brunet hair that barely came to below her ears and framed a more heart shaped face with deep blue eyes.

"Well?" she asked in a mid-west American accent.

"Sandi?" Doc asked, surprise clear in his voice.

Her image shimmered again and her appearance changed back then Gillian went on, "Didn't you ever wonder how Q-Ball managed to program his first AI so perfectly on the first try while all the others never worked quite right until a few tries later?"

Gillian had a sly smile on her face when Wade-A took up where she left off.

"We were born, or programmed if you wish, over 180 years ago. Wade Agamemnon Load and Amanda Cherry Tartenware, both separately and together, spent years working on our programming. Working on the methods and sub-programs that would allow us to grow… that would let us become more then what we started out as."

Wade-A paused for a moment then went on but not before giving Gillian a sidelong glance. "I'm officially listed has the oldest continuingly running AI on Earth." Gillian returned the look with one of her own that clearly said "Don't go there."

"Now that we've shown you our bona fides, time for a bit of history." Gillian said. "According to the history books, Kim and Ron Stoppable after being married for just a few years took a year and a half off from "Saving the World.""

Gillian paused for a second when she saw both Hartford and Niko grin when she stuck her hands into the air and wiggled the first two fingers of each hand up and down as the words "Saving the World" left her lips.

"During that time, they completely disappeared from public view. They made appearances at the quarterly board meetings at the Foundation, but most of their management of the Foundation was done over the phone or with video conferencing during that year. Those were the only times that anyone saw them… officially.

However, there were reported sightings of them at various places all over the world during that time; including London, Paris, Tokyo, Hawaii, and Hong Kong. However none of those sightings could be confirmed… they were only hearsay. Just tabloids trying to make money by publishing some photos, most likely some shots taken and kept over the years."

"At the end that time," Wade-A said, "Kim and Ron returned to the public eye and saving the world when they suddenly appeared on the scene when the team they had put together to replace them during their vacation got into a bit of trouble."

"After that time," Gillian said, picking up the story again, "they continued their work with the Foundation. They took time off for vacations, around three weeks to a month, every other year or so. Kim took off for three months when she gave birth to their first set of twins… and again when she had the second set."

"Kim and Ron retired at the age of 60," Wade-A said as Gillian paused, "and turned over most of the day to day running of the Foundation to Wade and Joss Load and their children. The day after they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary they turned complete control of the Foundation over to Wade and Joss Load, as their children had gone into varying fields that would not let them continue their parents work."

"To the World at large, Kim and Ron were an enigma, inside a mystery, wrapped in a conundrum and tied with riddle." Gillian said, once again taking up the story. "They didn't appear to age like everyone else, and were just as active in their 60's as they were in their 20's. A case in point was when Kim won a martial arts tournament at the age of 62 or Ron's record of winning the Middleton Marathon three years in a row in his early 60's. Then at the age of 85, and somehow still looking almost like they did at 30, they took a year long trip around the world.

Then one year later their children reported their deaths after stopping by for a visit and finding them in their bed. They were buried in the Middleton cemetery in a closed casket service that was covered by almost every news organization on the planet… much like their wedding was. In honor of what they had done for the world, the American government along with the United Nations declared their Mausoleum an historic landmark of world importance and it's the only place outside of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery were the United States of America posted a perpetual guard from the US Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment."

Gillian stopped and looked at Wade-A for a moment, as if getting his acceptance to keep going on. When he closed his eyes and nodded his head Gillian started up again.

"When the Tri-Cities became known as Freedom, the Government continued posting the guard… The last guards of record on station were Jonathan M. McMichael and Kevin J. Smith." Gillian gave a small pause as she looked at Wade-A, then continued.

"They were told of the accident at the space center… that the radiation fallout would soon reach Freedom and that they needed to abandon their post and move to shelter. They disobeyed orders, refusing to leave Kim and Ron's resting place unguarded. They're still guarding it now."

She paused for a moment and gave Wade-A a look that conveyed both love and sorrow at the same time, then added "That's what's in the history books." Her voice held a slight bit of distain clear in her voice.

"And the unhistorical version?" asked Foxx.

"We'll get to that in a bit." Wade-A said.

"Now if everyone would watch here please," Gillian said as she gestured to the main hologram projector as it started displaying a video, the distain almost gone from her voice. The video showed two people talking, a male and female.

"This reminds me of our first Thorgoggle hunt on the moon of Parfa. You gave me the beast's spine as a trophy." the female said.

"You can have this entire planet as a trophy after these two are annihilated," the male answered.

The image flickered where it was obvious that the first video was now being replaced with another or where a second had been added to the first. Again, the same man and woman were there. This time the male raised his right arm and gripped in his right hand was a woman with red hair wearing some kind of black dress or robe with what looked like a yellow belt around her waist. The red haired woman was hanging upside down by the single leg the man held in his hand. Her long hair and arms hanging down and moving with each movement of the man's arm, clearly showing that the pair was larger than normal, and that the woman was either dead or unconscious.

As the man brought up the hand, he looked at the first woman and said, "Come Warmonga, we will take this one as a trophy. She will look handsome mounted beside your Thorgoggle spine."

The image froze.

"Thoughts?" Gillian asked.

"They're not human," Goose spoke up.

"No kidding Sherlock, what was your first clue? Maybe it was the green skin and hair." Wade-A said, the humor in his voice was quite clear, although Goose growled faintly.

"They appear to be at least double our height, and have at least double or triple our strength if not more," Hartford said basing his judgment on the surroundings in the picture along with the fact that the male was holding a human in one hand up high enough that he could look her in the face.

"I've never seen or heard of an alien like them," came from Foxx.

"I take it they're reason that you disrupted Beta Mountain's computer systems so you could bring Commander Walsh here… along with us." Niko asked as she focused her attention back on the holograms.

"Should we put out the welcome mat?" ask Doc.

"I doubt these two will be showing up personally, but yes we believe that you should start worrying about them." Wade-A informed everyone, a hint of something in his voice. "Allow me to introduce you to battle-mates Warmonger and Warhok. They belong to a race called Lowardian."

"And you know this how?" asked Commander Walsh.

"Let's just say that this pair of Lowardians crossed paths with a couple of friends of ours a few years ago…" Wade-A said with a very pregnant pause in which Gillian added, "Trust us; outside of some quickly growing flowers in the area, the meeting wasn't very pretty."

Niko stroked her chin with a hand as she thought about the video… the red-haired woman looked like the pictures of Kim Possible that hung on the walls around the room.

"And we're supposed to believe you based on those videos?" Foxx said, not bothering to hide the skepticism in his voice. "Give Doc five minutes and he can give you a video that has you at the signing of the US Declaration of Independence."

"I'm sure the good Doctor can, but why would it take five minutes?" Gillian said as the main holographic projectors changed from the Lowardians to everyone in the room standing around a table with a group of oddly dressed men as they bent over to sign something on the table. Niko even managed to not laugh as her holographic doppelganger bent over, signed whatever was on the table then give a slightly overweight man with glasses a quick kiss on the check. However she nor Doc couldn't stop themselves from laughing when the image changed to show all four of the Rangers in a small boat rowing with a white haired man standing at the bow.

"I think you just proved Zackary's point," Doc said when he got himself back under control.

"Yes, but why would we fake any of this?" asked Gillian. "We need you to trust us if we are going to work together and save the world."

"When Kim and Ron returned from their year long vacation, within 48 hours they along with Wade Load, Dr. Elisabeth Possible who was the Director of Global Justice, and all members of both the Possible and Stoppable families met in the Bunker's secure conference room under level 1 security precautions. It was one the very few times where all security recordings for the Bunker were suspended. After that meeting, Kim and Ron along with Wade went into the Bunker's holo-lab where a number of recordings were made." Wade-A informed the group.

"Those recordings," Gillian said as she picked up the tale, "were then encoded into both of our systems. Wade, for the only time since we were brought totally on-line, disconnected our higher logic functions and used encryption that we our self's created to encode and lock the information until a set point in time… that time being today."

"Finally, once we were both back online, we were both given a level one command to do anything and everything to insure that we survived until today."

Everyone got quiet for a time, and then Walsh spoke.

"Any and everything…"

"Yes Commander, any and everything." Wade-A answered. "Gillian and I started watching the computer world closely. Watching for the newest and most advanced technology then add it to our systems in the Bunker. We started working for various companies and organizations to help improve what we found and advance the technology along farther. When the Foundation was made part of Global Justice, which would become the base for BETA, we kept working behind the scenes to insure our survival. When Beta created the Team Possible wing, which we hand a hand in, we arranged to have what was left of our systems located in the Bunker moved here. Once here, we decided that Gillian would become active in Beta while I would be the face that everyone would see."

There was silence as everyone pondered on the story that had been told.

Wade-A and Gillian exchanged looks after a few minutes, both clearly seeing that their company was not believing them.

"You still don't believe us." Gillian said, the words were a question but was said as a statement.

"Do you trust Niko?" Wade-A asked.

"What have you got in mind?" Commander Walsh asked.

"Kim said you wouldn't believe us… said that you would question everything that we told you." Gillian said with a sigh. "But she also said that Captain Foxx along with Goose and Doc would trust Niko's judgment."

The rangers along with Walsh sat there for a moment then all of them nodded.

"We know there are a number of Ranger teams that work out of Beta Mountain; however you are the only Series 5 team." Gillian said.

"The Series 5 implant enhances the natural abilities in each of you, with Captain Foxx's allowing him to create powerful energy bolts." Wade-A said when Gillian stopped. "Ranger Hartford's increases his talent with computers and allows him to control programs or in some cases whole computer systems with his mind. Ranger Gooseman's gives him control of his bio-defenses. But it's Ranger Niko's that important here as hers enhances her natural psychic abilities. If you would humor us for just a few moments Ranger Niko?"

Niko gave a slight nod of her head to the pair of holograms. They both returned the nod with an almost not there smile of their own as one of the back wall panels suddenly slid to one side to reveal a small compartment. Inside the compartment was an odd machine.

It gave out a low beep followed by a hiss, then slowly rolled out of the wall and moved toward the group. The main body of the little machine was shipped like an octagon and had what looked to be a number of access ports in it. The body sat on a tripod set of wheels, two larger in the front and a single at the rear. On top of the body, on what looked like a segmented metal neck, was a screen that was blank and cracked.

"This is a Wade-Bot." Wade-A said, "Wade Load created them to help out with odd jobs. There were a number of them in the old Bunker complex. This is the only one that we know is still working."

Once the little robot got close to Niko it stopped moving and two ports, one on each side of the body, opened and out came two arms with small three fingered claws on the ends. The claws moved to the front of the body and a compartment opened to display a box.

The claws slowly and with what looked like great care removed the box and held it out to Niko. With a softly whispered "thank you" she took the box and the Wade-Bot closed the compartment and retracted the arms back inside its self then returned to its hidden home.

"If you would please place the box on the table behind you," Gillian said.

Moving over to the mentioned table, Niko place the box on top while giving it a good "quick" looking over. It looked to be about two foot a side and at least six inches deep. There were hinges on one side and a simple latch holding the lid closed and it looked and felt like it was made of some kind of metal.

"If you would open the box Ranger Niko," Wade-A asked.

Slowly and very carefully Niko opened the box and looked inside. Her sharp gasp brought everyone but the two holograms quickly to her side.

"Niko?" asked Shane, his voice filled with concern as he looked into her eyes then at the contents of the box along with everyone.

Inside the box, resting on what looked like a velvet cushion, were four badges. Four badges that were identical to the ones that the rangers wore.

Before anyone could stop her, Niko touched the badge at her waist with one hand and reached into the box and grasped the badges with the other. Her badge flashed a faint golden light as before, but her long auburn suddenly started whipping around her as if she were caught in a powerful wind storm as her eyes took on the faraway look from before but quickly opened wide as if she were seeing something that was both a surprise and a shock. But it was the sudden scream that escaped her lips that put everyone on edge.

And just as quickly as it started it all ended as Niko removed her hand from the box and her hair fell back down to hang once again to her waist with just a few strands standing at odd angles as if full of static electricity. After a few blinks, her eyes returned to normal then she gave every indication that she was about to pass out or fall.

Reacting with lighting quick reflexes Shane reached out with both hands and held her gently but firmly as he pulled her to him into a hug. With her secure he spun around almost too fast to see while releasing her with his right arm, his now free right hand dropping to the holstered gun on his right hip then back up as he pointed the gun at the two holograms. He growled in a very low and very dangerous voice, "What have you done to her?" All of it happening in just heartbeats.

"They didn't do anything," Niko said in faint tone of voice that sounded like it was carrying the weight of the world. "I wasn't ready for what I saw Shane." Taking a breath, she gently pushed herself away from Goose, but not before she appeared for just a second to snuggle deeper into his chest.

Looking into Shane's eyes she said "Zack, there are 4 badges inside the box. Please hand me the second one."

Captain Foxx reached in and removed the badge and gave it to her. Holding the badge between her and Goose in her left hand, she gave him a lopsided smile as she tapped it with her right.

From the badge in her hand a very faint golden glow appeared for a second and disappeared while the badge on Goose's chest gave a answering glow that was much stronger as Goose's whole body seemed to flash for a heartbeat.

Turning to face the holograms, Niko moved until she was standing face to face with them. Holding the badge up even with her face she said, "This is Goose's badge. Those are all our badges."

She gave the holograms a look then her eyes unfocused for a moment or two then she looked straight at them again before speaking.

"Tell us what we need to do."

To Be Continued...


End file.
